Top Items:
Politico:
'It's a farce': Dems livid as Hope Hicks dodges questions — The president's former longtime confidante met with lawmakers behind closed doors to discuss the president's alleged efforts to thwart Mueller's Russia probe. — House Democrats erupted Wednesday at what they said was the White …
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CNN:
She stopped returning some of Trump's calls. Now Hope Hicks is testifying behind closed doors — (CNN)For Hope Hicks, President Donald Trump is “boss man” no more. — Once the President's closest West Wing confidante — the recipient of his repeated phone calls, the witness to his angriest moments …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Washington Press and Mediaite
Julia Arciga / The Daily Beast:
White House Counsel: Hope Hicks Is ‘Immune’ From Questions About Her Time in Trump Administration
White House Counsel: Hope Hicks Is ‘Immune’ From Questions About Her Time in Trump Administration
Kate Riga / Talking Points Memo:
Frustrated Democrats Stonewalled During Hicks Testimony By DOJ Lawyer
Frustrated Democrats Stonewalled During Hicks Testimony By DOJ Lawyer
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Andrew O'Reilly / Fox News:
Hope Hicks questioned behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, as pols bicker over interview
Hope Hicks questioned behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, as pols bicker over interview
Discussion:
Politico
Rachael Bade / Washington Post:
White House bars former Trump aide from answering questions about her work in administration
Andrew Desiderio / Politico:
Pelosi rules out censuring Trump
Pelosi rules out censuring Trump
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Axios
Katie Glueck / New York Times:
Biden, Recalling Civility in Senate, Invokes Two Segregationist Senators — Joseph R. Biden Jr., defending himself on Tuesday night against suggestions that he is too “old fashioned” for today's Democratic Party, invoked two Southern segregationist senators by name as he fondly recalled the …
Discussion:
CNN, JustOneMinute, Vanity Fair, Washington Free Beacon, Axios, National Review, ThinkProgress, Washington Monthly, Slate, No More Mister Nice Blog, Bloomberg, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Big League Politics, The Slot, Shakesville, Wonkette, Daily Wire, Splinter, NBC News and Politico
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Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Joe Biden's Segregationist Nostalgia Is Even More Ignorant Than It Sounds — One of Joe Biden's favorite campaign riffs underscores his belief in the value of civility and bipartisanship. Inevitably, Biden reminisces about his young Senatorial days when he would pal around (and occasionally cut deals) with segregationists.
Discussion:
Althouse
Sarah Cammarata / Politico:
Biden faces backlash for citing his work with two segregationists as a sign of ‘civility’
Biden faces backlash for citing his work with two segregationists as a sign of ‘civility’
Isaac Stanley-Becker / Washington Post:
‘We got things done’: Biden recalls ‘civility’ with segregationist senators
‘We got things done’: Biden recalls ‘civility’ with segregationist senators
Discussion:
NBC News, Talking Points Memo, The Root, Mediaite, VICE and twitchy.com
Lisa Needham / Shareblue Media:
Trump had to pay up front for his Orlando rally after stiffing 10 other cities — Orlando, where Trump kicked off his 2020 election bid, made sure they were paid in advance before Trump came to town. — Trump launched his 2020 bid Tuesday night, but it cost him.
Discussion:
New York Magazine, The Daily Beast and Mediaite
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Christopher Mathias / HuffPost:
Trump's 2020 Campaign Kickoff Attracted Extremists To A City That Hates Trump — Proud Boys, QAnon conspiracy theorists, Infowars fans and other assorted pro-Trump extremists descended upon Orlando Tuesday. — ORLANDO, Fla. — President Donald Trump announced the formal launch …
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and The Daily Beast
New York Times:
What We Learned From Trump's Orlando Rally
What We Learned From Trump's Orlando Rally
Discussion:
Spectator USA, Media Matters for America, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Wonkette, Althouse, Breitbart and NPR
Timothy L. O'Brien / Bloomberg:
Trump's Orlando Rally Shows He's Running Out of New Tricks
Bruce Kesler / Maggie's Farm:
Photos From My Son At Trump 2020 Kickoff Campaign Rally In Orlando
Photos From My Son At Trump 2020 Kickoff Campaign Rally In Orlando
Discussion:
Fox News, Power Line, Breitbart and RealClearPolitics
Casey Newton / The Verge:
Facebook moderators break their NDAs to expose desperate working conditions — At Facebook's worst-performing content moderation site in North America, one contractor has died, and others say they fear for their lives — Content warning: This story contains descriptions of violent acts …
Discussion:
Instapundit and Boing Boing, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
Meet the New York couple donating millions to the anti-vax movement — A wealthy Manhattan couple has emerged as significant financiers of the anti-vaccine movement, contributing more than $3 million in recent years to groups that stoke fears about immunizations online and at live events …
Discussion:
Observer and No More Mister Nice Blog
Elizabeth Warren / New York Times:
Does anyone deserve to have a billion dollars? — THE CONTEXT — Most Democrats see economic inequality as a problem, but they don't always agree about how extreme wealth should be treated. This question sharpened that debate: candidates like Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar …
Discussion:
Splinter, IJR and Daily Caller News Foundation
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New York Times:
Here's What They Said. — We tracked down the 2020 Democrats and asked them the same set of questions. Here's one: — CLOSED CAPTIONS — THE QUESTIONS — In an ideal world, would anyone own handguns? — Would your focus be improving the Affordable Care Act or replacing it with single payer?
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Washington Post and Mediaite
Monmouth University Polling Institute:
Biden Tops Electability Ratings — Most Dems interested in first debates, but not excited — West Long Branch, NJ - Former Vice President Joe Biden maintains his front-runner status among Democratic voters nationwide, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is now virtually tied with Vermont …
Discussion:
USA Today, CNN, Washington Times and Political Wire
Elizabeth Nolan Brown / Reason:
Josh Hawley Introduces Bill to Put Washington In Charge of Internet Speech — Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is introducing legislation to clamp down on free expression online, under the pretense of fighting tech-company “bias” against Republicans. — Hawley's solution is to amend Section 230 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Senator Josh Hawley, The Daily Caller and Breitbart
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Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
Josh Hawley's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Internet Bill
Josh Hawley's Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Internet Bill
Discussion:
ThinkProgress
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
These gruesome new Khashoggi revelations reinforce the ugly bargain Trump has struck with Saudi Arabia — The Trump administration has made a calculated decision not to retaliate very much against Saudi Arabia for the assassination of Washington Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, New York Post, One America News Network and KTLA
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Washington Post:
U.N. investigator calls for probing Saudi officials in Khashoggi killing
U.N. investigator calls for probing Saudi officials in Khashoggi killing
Discussion:
The Guardian, Politico, New York Post, UPI, Newser, Boing Boing and Slate, more at Mediagazer »
Nic Robertson / CNN:
Khashoggi murder: Independent investigation blames Saudi Arabia for ‘extrajudicial killing’ of journalist
Khashoggi murder: Independent investigation blames Saudi Arabia for ‘extrajudicial killing’ of journalist
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Al Jazeera
Charles P. Pierce / Esquire:
Spoiler Alert: They Want a War — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (!) is making noises about ties between al Qaeda and Iran. The intent is clear. — Here they come again, the oldies act, just in time for the summer shed shows. Take it away, — New York Times … Spoiler Alert: they want a war.
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Andrew E. Kramer / New York Times:
Four to Face Murder Charges in Downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 — MOSCOW — International prosecutors on Wednesday said that four men, including three with close ties to the Russian military and intelligence, would face murder charges in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine five years ago, killing 298 people.
Discussion:
bellingcat, Daily Caller News Foundation and Newser
Lyz Lenz / Columbia Journalism Review:
The normalization of Bryan Goldberg — Bryan Goldberg wants to save your internet. Since the creation of his Bustle Digital Group, Goldberg made a name for himself as a digital slumlord—snatching up gutted media properties, bidding low and running them on cheap labor.
Lisa Friedman / New York Times:
E.P.A. Finalizes Its Plan to Replace Obama-Era Climate Rules — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday finalized a package of new rules to replace the Clean Power Plan, former President Barack Obama's signature effort to reduce planet-warming emissions from coal plants.
Discussion:
HuffPost, Axios, Common Dreams, The Guardian and UPI
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Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Second ex-Hassan staffer charged in doxing case — A second former aide to Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) was charged in federal court Wednesday with evidence of tampering and aiding and abetting computer fraud in connection with a scheme that led to personal information of several Republican senators …
John Solomon / The Hill:
FBI, warned early and often that Manafort file might be fake, used it anyway — When the final chapter of the Russia collusion caper is written, it is likely two seminal documents the FBI used to justify investigating Donald Trump's 2016 campaign will turn out to be bunk.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit
Daniel Lippman / Politico:
Sarah Sanders is ‘extremely serious’ about a run for Arkansas governor — Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the outgoing White House press secretary, is seriously considering running for governor of Arkansas, according to three people who have spoken to her in recent days.
Discussion:
Vanity Fair, Shareblue Media, Breitbart, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Washington Times, Splinter, IJR, Mediaite and New York Post
Daniel Dale / CNN:
Fact-check: Trump's Orlando rally featured more than 15 false claims over 76 minutes — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump kicked off his formal reelection campaign Tuesday night with a rally in Orlando. His 76-minute speech featured more than 15 false statements, many of them ones that he's repeated frequently in the past.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
The Daily Beast:
Tucker Carlson Is Privately Advising Trump on Iran — As tensions with Iran escalate and his advisers clamor for a hawkish approach, the president has been taking foreign-policy advice from a Fox News host. — In the upper echelons of the Trump administration, hawkish voices on Iran predominate …
Discussion:
RedState, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, LobeLog, Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, Shakesville and Mediaite
Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:
Five NY1 Anchorwomen Sue Cable Channel for Age and Gender Discrimination — Five anchorwomen at NY1, one of the country's most prominent local news channels, sued the network on Wednesday over age and gender discrimination, alleging a systematic effort by managers to force them off the air in favor of younger, less experienced hosts.
Discussion:
Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Lisa Rein / Washington Post:
Trump administration threatens furloughs, layoffs if Congress doesn't let it kill personnel agency — The Trump administration is threatening to furlough — and possibly lay off — 150 employees at the federal personnel agency if Congress blocks its plan to eliminate the department.
Discussion:
Axios
Matt Donnelly / Variety:
Janet Mock Signs Landmark Overall Netflix Deal (EXCLUSIVE) — Janet Mock is making history. — The “Pose” director, producer and writer has signed a sweeping deal at Netflix, making her the first out transgender woman empowered to call the creative shots at a major content company.
Discussion:
Washington Blade, theGrio, Engadget, VICE and TechCrunch